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BY REBECCA SHERMAN. ART DIRECTION MICHELLE AVIÑA. PHOTOGRAPHY CHRIS PLAVIDAL FOR SISTERBROTHER MANAGEMENT. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, A FLOWER MASTER'S DARK AND DREAMY, ART-FILLED HOME SECRET WORLD OF THE In the living room, the white bronze pig is Happy Life No. 4 by Chinese artist Chen Wenling. Circa-1840 Brazilian Rosewood English pedestal table. On cabinet, Joe Mancuso's wood sculpture Bouquet, 1991, flanked by a pair of solid bronze candlesticks by Michael Tracy. DAVID BROWN T here's the public side of David Brown, whose namesake River Oaks-area floral design boutique is light-drenched and bursting with colorful blooms. In the business for 40 years, Brown is known for his highly stylish and artistic arrangements, which make him a top resource for Houston's smart party set and brides-to-be. At the shop, the double doors to Brown's back work area are left open, and he often waves customers in. "People are always welcome to come back into the studio and watch the magic happen," he says. "They like that." Plants and petals help him connect to his patrons, many of whose houses he's inside on a regular basis, doing flowers for dinner parties or other special occasions. The communal and convivial aspect of Brown's job brings out his more sociable side. Then there's the flower designer's carefully guarded private life. Few venture inside Brown's own home, a three- story modern stucco town home off West Alabama and Greenbrier, designed by University of Houston architecture grad students, which he bought 16 years ago while it was still under construction. He has lived there ever since and rarely entertains. "I'm the consummate loner. I love coming home to an empty house. I'll sit back and have this silent dialogue with my art collection," he says of the mid-century and contemporary sculpture, paintings and photography he began amassing 40 years ago. Most of Brown's longtime customers and acquaintances might be astounded to see behind his closed doors. "A few years ago," he says, "a prominent art collector and patron of the store stopped by to pick up some things I was donating to a charity event, and he said, 'David, why don't we know this about you?' — referring to the obvious abundance of art in my home. It's just something very